


baby, we could be enough

by zcinmalik



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Being Human (UK) Fusion, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Asexual Harry, Asexual Liam, Asexual Louis, Asexual Niall, Asexual Relationship, Asexual Zayn, Asexuality, Domestic, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Fluff, Human Niall, Human Zayn, Light Angst, Multi, OT5, Protective Liam, Protective Zayn, Vampire Louis, Werewolf Liam, Witch Harry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-31
Updated: 2015-12-31
Packaged: 2018-05-05 20:30:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5389214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zcinmalik/pseuds/zcinmalik
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A few weeks later, they’ve finally begun to settle in, and it’s time for Liam’s first in-home transformation. </p><p>He’s dreading it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	baby, we could be enough

**Author's Note:**

  * For [moshi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/moshi/gifts).



> Written for the [1D Aro Ace Fic Exchange](http://1daroficexchange.tumblr.com/). Thanks so much to [Eva](http://mahealaheys.tumblr.com/) for the beta! Any remaining mistakes are my own.
> 
> Prompt: "OT5, Gang of Boyfriends. Lots of love. idk that's it. They could all be farmers or something idc just all of them dating each other." Hope you enjoy it, moshi! 
> 
> The events presented here are fictional. Please don't share this with any of the real people mentioned or referenced. Thanks!
> 
> Title, of course, from "Home."

Zayn raises his eyebrows, turning back to face the other boys. “Ready?”

Louis huffs from behind the large box that he’s holding and says, “Get on with it already!”

Liam helpfully takes one end of Louis’ load, despite the few large duffel bags he’s already carrying himself.

“This is a critical moment,” Harry chides. He’s balancing two stacked boxes easily on his hip. “Our first official—”

“Lads, I don’t know how much longer I can hold this,” Niall says, and the nightstand balanced in his arms teeters precariously.

“Right.” Zayn turns around and keys open the door, revealing the interior of their first ever apartment.

 

* * *

 

Even though it’s still early in the night, the first thing Liam does is tug the blackout curtains from a box and set about hanging them up.

“Aww, babe,” Louis says. “Always thinking of me.” He’s already lazily stretched out on the bed, which had been delivered in the morning. Niall lightly kicks at one of Louis’ feet to get his attention, lifting a couple of large black candles in either hand with an unasked question.

“What— oh. If Haz really must. The smell won’t agitate Liam tonight, it’s almost a half moon.” Before Liam can protest that he knows his own limits perfectly well, Zayn walks behind him and slips appeasing arms around his middle.

“But, erm, the one in your left is exclusively part of a infant-conjuring charm, Niall,” Harry points out helpfully from where he’s casting a silencing spell on the doorframe.

“ _Harry_!” Liam chides, twisting around to frown. “You told me you were going to keep that one in storage.”

“He told _me_ he was going to get rid of it altogether,” Zayn says. He walks off to start unpacking kitchen supplies, dropping an absent kiss to Niall’s cheek on the way.

“And I thought we’d agreed that when the time came we were adopting,” Louis adds, his voice muffled from the pillow that he’s dropped his face into.

Harry looks utterly unembarrassed. “It’s an incredibly complicated spell, it’s not like I could just light the candle and be done with it. Besides, there’s nothing wrong with planning ahead.”

This is met with four groans of varying degrees of exasperation and fondness.

 

* * *

 

Finding the perfect apartment had been a months-long trial. The most challenging requirement was that it had to have windows that would face the moon at just the right angle and time for both Liam’s transformations and Harry’s spells. This alone resulted in the boys having to visit dozens of different places and measure them exactly in relation to the future locations of the new moon, full moon, and crescent moons.

Attempting to explain what exactly they were looking for to various managers and agents became Niall’s job by default, since he was best at charming them to distraction. This occasionally led to some confusion.

“You know, the one disadvantage to this place is that there’re no separate rooms for your friends,” John the manager had told Niall during one tour. He leaned flirtily against the kitchen counter and gestured toward the door that led into that apartment’s lone bedroom, where Liam and Harry were measuring. Louis was never able to come with them for their sunlight tours. This was probably for the best, though, as he neither had the patience for house hunting nor any desire to prolong his exposure to the scent of human blood that didn’t belong to Zayn or Niall.

Oblivious to Niall’s amused expression, John kept hitting on him. “If these guys ever got too rowdy, y’know, you ever needed a bed to fall into…”   
  
Zayn, having heard enough, turned from where he had been at work with the living room window and walked the few steps between them. He wound a proprietary arm around Niall’s waist and nodded toward the bedroom. “He’s with us, actually.”

John’s face flushed in mild embarrassment. Before he could say anything, Niall added, “And we’re ace, as it happens, so I, um, doubt I fall into bed the way that you’re thinking?”

Zayn had squeezed Niall’s waist as John changed the subject to the apartment’s hardwood floors. In response, Niall leaned over to plant a fond kiss on Zayn’s lips.

 

* * *

 

A few weeks later, they’ve finally begun to settle in, and it’s time for Liam’s first in-home transformation.

He’s dreading it.

That had been the actual reason for the apartment search, though Liam knew that the others would never admit it. They had made it a point, from the beginning through the entire process, to talk about all the many reasons why it was high time they move in together properly. Louis was tired of having to sneak out of their respective places before sunrise every morning, Zayn needed to move somewhere closer to the new studio he’d just rented out, Niall was tired of trying to hide the fact that three of his boyfriends were supernatural creatures from his roommates, Harry hated waking up alone, and besides, they’d all been talking about getting an apartment together for years… the list was endless.

And Liam knew that these reasons had at least had some bearing on the decision, but he also knew that the boys were trying to diminish the main motivation behind it. They knew that he hated his condition being an inconvenience, that he was embarrassed of how little control he still had over himself on full moons, that he couldn’t stand the thought that they were making a big, important decision for their relationship and their lives based on what would make his monthly transformations easier.

As it stood prior to the move, Liam transformed in a cage that he and Zayn had procured many years earlier, before they had even met Niall and Harry and Louis. The cage had been a “gift” of sorts from the man who bit Liam— his one and only dubiously positive contribution to Liam’s life before he left town as quickly as he had entered it. They kept the cage stored in the basement of Zayn’s apartment complex, where Zayn locked them every full moon. No manager or tenant ever cared enough about the cramped storage space to notice when Zayn stole the key to it, or to pay attention to the muffled sounds that occasionally came out of it.

All of this was enough of a challenge to deal with. Liam and Zayn had to prepare everything in advance and relied far too often on the dumb luck that prevented people from noticing what they were up to. But besides that, there were other discomforts.

The cage was small. Liam could lie down and stand up in it as a human, but only just barely. Despite the fact that he grew smaller in size when he transformed into the wolf, he had virtually no room to move around. His condition made him crave the freedom to run that would have been afforded by a more natural habitat. The cramped space made Liam both irritable and unhappy in his transformed state. He would pace the short length of the cage, whine to be released, and snap at Zayn’s hands whenever they got within reaching distance.

Zayn got too easily upset by Liam’s emotional state, would always end up trying to appease him with the meat they had prepared or with the types of soothing touches that would have worked on Liam as a human. This led to only too many arguments.

“If you can’t do it without trying to touch me then you need to just stop,” Liam had said, his hands shaking with frustration and fear as he pulled his clothes on during one morning.

“You don’t even know what it’s like!” Zayn snapped, gathering the supplies that had wound up scattered over the floor the night before. “You need me and you need to be fed and you need to be touched. It’s the only way we’ll be able to take you out of the cage eventually. Besides, I’m getting better at it.”

Liam whirled around. “We are _not_ taking me out of the cage, Zayn!”

Zayn stood up, throwing his backpack over one shoulder. “So because you don’t trust me—”

“I never said that!”

“—to take care of you, because you don’t think you deserve to be taken care of or some shit like that—”

“That is not what this is about—”

“—you would rather just lock yourself in a fucking cage every month because—”

“Enough, Zayn!” Liam shouted, and despite Zayn’s furious expression, he continued in the calmest tone he could muster. “If you keep acting like this and trying to pet me or whatever, I am going to end up biting you. And if I do that, I’ll never forgive myself.”

“You’re _not going to bite me_!” Zayn insisted immediately.

And on it went, the same argument hashed out so many times over such a long period that Liam swears he could have rehearsed it in his sleep. Things only got slightly easier when the other boys came into their lives— Louis with his endless knowledge of the supernatural, Harry with his talent for spells, Niall with his patience and humor and unfailing determination.

But as much as they helped, Liam was still changing in a cage. He still spent one long, sleepless night each month consumed by the physical pain of the transformation, a voracious appetite, miserable claustrophobia, and the aching desire to properly be with his boyfriends. To feel their fingers carding through his hair without fearing for their safety.

It hadn’t been until Harry suggested that Liam might be calm enough not to need a cage at all, in the right environment and with the right precautions, that their apartment search had eventually, properly begun.

 

* * *

 

Liam drums his fingers against his thigh and checks his phone for the fourth time in as many minutes. The other boys are busying themselves with last-minute preparations. Louis warms up his blood for the night as Harry flits between rooms, murmuring to himself and adjusting candles to be just so. Zayn and Niall are taking turns between grilling meat for Liam once he’s changed and securing the last of the breakable furniture and valuables. Liam watches them all, feeling a mounting anxiety.

When Louis walks into the living room, nursing a hot mug, Liam takes his elbow and steers him into a corner.

“I can’t do this,” Liam says softly, ignoring the way that Louis’ eyebrows raise in response. “I just— I have to go. I can’t be here for this, I need to—”

“Whoa,” Louis says. “Just take a breath. What’s wrong? Is something off with the transformation?”

Liam shakes his head, glancing at where Harry is trying and failing to subtly listen in from another corner of the room. “No. But this was a bad idea. I could hurt you.”

Louis sets his mug down on the coffee table. “Liam, we’ve been over this. We’ve prepared for everything, we have backup plans.”

“I can’t gamble the people I’m in love with just to try to have a— a cushier night.” Liam can’t believe he ever agreed to this idea. How selfish did you have to be to want to risk killing your boyfriends so that you could be more comfortable as a wolf?

Louis is looking at Liam with an odd combination of irritation, concern, and thoughtfulness. A long moment of awkward silence stretches between them, until Louis finally breaks it.

“What do I have to do to convince you to try this?”

Once Louis’ words register, Liam sighs and checks his phone again. It’s too late for him to go somewhere else to change. He could chance it in the forest, but that would probably increase his odds of running into people, and unsuspecting civilians at that. Humans.

Liam glances up at where Zayn and Niall are carrying either end of the TV during its transfer from the living room to the bedroom. He looks back at Louis, who already has a knowing look in his eyes.

“Okay. One condition and I’ll do it.”

 

* * *

 

“This is _bullshit_ ,” Zayn says, and the way his arms are crossed over his chest only adds a mild bit of cute petulance to body language that is otherwise an indication that Zayn is on the verge of kicking their asses.

Liam opens his mouth to reply, but before he can, Louis has jumped in.

“Honestly, Zayn,” Louis says, rolling his eyes, and this is not going to end well. Not if the way Zayn’s eyes narrow in response is any indication. “I know you don’t like to hear it, but let’s face facts. You’re a small, delicate human. Look at yourself. Look at Niall, for that matter. If anything goes wrong with Liam, Harry and I can at least handle him. You two would be sitting ducks.”

Zayn uncrosses his arms and takes a few steps forward until he’s standing right in front of Louis. His chest is rising and falling with angry, rapid breaths. “I’ve been taking care of Liam during his transformations for _years_ now. By myself for the majority of that time, and I somehow managed not to get mauled despite not having any other supernatural people to _babysit_ me. Besides which—”

Liam reaches forward to gently take Zayn’s elbow. Zayn turns his furious gaze on Liam in a flash, but lets him tug Zayn in his direction.

“Babe,” Liam says softly. “You know that it was different when I was in the cage. You were safe because I couldn’t get to you.”

Zayn promptly opens his mouth to retort, but Liam continues.

“I’ve always trusted you with everything. You know I have.” Liam sees the way that Zayn’s eyes are gentling the slightest bit, and takes it as a cue to drop his hand from Zayn’s arm and hold Zayn’s hand instead. It feels cool compared to Liam’s. “But I can’t do this unless I know that everyone is safe. That means I need you and Niall to be locked in the bedroom until we know that I’m manageable in the house.”

Zayn still looks reluctant. He glances back at Niall for support. Niall had propped himself against the couch armchair while he listened to the argument, his legs crossed and his hands shoved into his pockets. He glances up from where he had been staring at the ground, as if he can feel Zayn’s gaze and unasked question. After a few moments, Niall sighs.

“I don’t like it any better than you, babe,” he says. “But if this is what Li needs tonight, then I suppose we just have to do it.”

At that moment, Harry comes in from the kitchen. “We’re all ready. You should be changing in about half an hour, Liam. How are you feeling?”

Liam shrugs. “Like usual. Well, maybe a little warm.”

“It’s because you’re nervous,” Louis says. “Heightened emotions make for a more intense transformation.”

Liam glances at Zayn, whose eyes are wide with some odd combination of worry and frustration.

“If I’m with you, you know it calms you down more,” Zayn says lowly, a last-ditch effort. “Not just me, either. You need all of us, you know that you’re most in control when it’s the five of us together.”

Liam shakes his head even as he says, “I know, Z. But you just have to wait. Just give me and Harry and Louis an hour to make sure. Then you and Niall can come out and we can be together, okay?”

Zayn stares into Liam’s eyes for a long moment. Finally, he says, “I’m giving you half an hour. And if I think any of you are in danger, I’m coming out.” His eyes burn, challenging Liam to contradict him. Liam sighs, knowing better.

“Okay.”

 

* * *

 

“Shall we watch some TV, then?” Niall jokes, and Zayn shakes his head even as he flops backwards onto their bed.

“You’ve locked the door in there, right?” Harry calls from outside.

“Not sure I can figure it out, might need a hand,” Niall says, and Zayn can imagine the other three rolling their eyes.

“And you—”

“And we put a chair under the knob,” Zayn said. “We’re fine.”

A tense silence settles over them. Zayn becomes hyper-conscious of his own breathing, the way it feels loud and big and like too much. Niall has settled next to him in bed, falling back so their bodies are lying parallel. After a few moments, Zayn reaches across the small space between them to take Niall’s hand in his own. Niall squeezes in silent reply.

Time seems to stretch endlessly. There are only occasional noises from the living room, short breaths and cut off grunts of pain that mean that Liam is getting closer to the transformation.

A few painfully long minutes later, Liam half-groans, half-growls, and it’s obvious that it’s starting. Zayn is used to Liam’s transformations by now, has been through more of them than he can count. But he’s never felt so helpless during one before. The separation forced by the cage that Liam used to use was unbearable, but at least Zayn could see him. He could look into his eyes and say soothing words and know that they were registering even as Liam was experiencing the pain that came with the shift. Now, though, separated by the wall, Zayn feels totally disconnected. All he can do is listen. He feels useless.

Suddenly a louder growl can be heard on the opposite side of the door. Zayn jumps up from the bed, unable to help himself.

“Liam!” he shouts. “Boys? What’s going on in there?”   
  
Niall looks as uneasy as Zayn feels. He rises, crosses the room, and leans against the door to listen. After a long moment he turns to Zayn and shrugs. “Can’t hear a thing.”   
  
“That’s it,” Zayn says loudly, and moves to stand next to Niall. He raises his voice even more to say, “We’re coming out right now.”

“Wait! Just wait a minute,” Louis says finally, and Zayn’s eyes narrow.

“What the fuck is going on?” he demands.

“He’s just adjusting, he’s just taking a minute to—” Harry’s would-be soothing voice cuts off into a grunt, as though he’s trying to contain something. “He’s just adjusting, it’s fine.”   
  
“Well why is it taking so long?” Zayn says. “Usually he’s fine by now! It never takes more than five minutes.”

Niall drops a comforting arm to Zayn’s shoulder, rubbing it softly. “We knew it might be more of a challenge, Zayn, he’s in a new environment. Let’s just give them a little more time.”   
  
Zayn crosses his arms.

“One more minute,” Louis calls.

Niall steers Zayn back to the bed and Zayn reluctantly allows himself to be moved. He sits with a huff but is soothed by the feeling of Niall dropping behind him, covering his back with warmth.

“What if—”

“Don’t, babe,” Niall says. “Don’t. It’s fine.”   
  
The sounds of periodic scuffling and murmuring keep coming in from the living room, and Zayn’s imagination is overwhelmed with thoughts of what’s happening and what might go wrong. Never mind what Niall said, what if something _does_ happen? What if one of the boys gets hurt? What if they can’t fix it? He feels a horrible ache settle in his midriff, feels almost sick with worry. He can’t breathe, he can’t focus, he—

“Zayn? Niall?”   
  
Zayn shoots up out of the bed as Niall scrambles to follow in his wake.

“What’s happening?”   
  
“It’s okay,” Harry says, and the smile in his voice is audible. “It’s fine, you can come out.”   
  
Zayn is shoving the chair aside and twisting at the door handle before Harry has finished his sentence, Niall hot on his heels. When Zayn finally manages the lock, he throws the door open, and he and Niall are met with the sight of Harry and Louis, wearily lying on the living room carpet. Across their laps lies Liam, a giant gray wolf.

Liam’s head is resting on his paws, and he looks more content than Zayn has ever seen him in this form. He lifts his eyes to meet the gazes of Zayn and Niall, and perks his head up in recognition once he gets a good look at them.

“It worked,” Louis says softly, as though trying not to wake a baby. “Took a little while to calm him down but… it worked.”   
  
Zayn drops to his knees to meet Liam, who has stood and started to trot towards him. “Li? Do you recognize me?”   
  
Liam makes an impatient little canine noise, pressing his nose against Zayn’s neck. Zayn finds himself giggling at the feeling, amazed to be running his hands through Liam’s fur for the first time.

Niall drops down next to them, reaching out towards Liam cautiously. Liam promptly licks at his hand, causing Niall to burst into laughter and Louis to roll his eyes from behind Liam’s back.

“Leaning into the dog jokes, are we Liam?”   
  
Before Liam can respond, Zayn scratches behind his ears and he melts into the feeling.

“Aww, leave him alone,” Harry says. He’s still lazily stretched out on the floor, but he now grabs Louis and pulls him down into his space. Louis goes down ungracefully, not expecting the attack.

As Liam and Niall join the pile-up on top of a complaining Louis, it occurs to Zayn that this feels good. This new place. It feels like they’re home.


End file.
